My story starts, two days ago I saw Mulholland drive for a really low price at the bookstore, and I had vague memory of being advised, “If you like Blue Velvet, you will like Mulholland drive even more.” So, last night I watched the movie naively and at that level I thought the movie made sense.The story I constructed was that Diane was a frustrated, lonely actress who relied on a (same sex) lover for support. Her lover was a manipulator who had no shame in promoting her own career using sex, and had advance her own career by either becoming engaged to or moving in with a director (remember what they announced was never stated). Diane’s lover had helped her career slightly but what Diane wanted was love, and she hired a hit man to kill her lover. I assumed the key was somehow linked to a confirmation of success, although I did not see any indication as to whether Diane’s lover was really dead—yes I did not notice the blue box that seems to be all the rage of discussion on this website. Diane did feel she had to go into hiding and used drugs to forget her problems. In her dream she became Betty, and her lover became Rita. Rita survives the car crash with no memory, and Betty seduces her by showing her trust and concern. I assumed that the director’s bad attitude entailed hiring an actress because she was willing to have sex with him. Remember the cowboy got the director to show a good attitude. I did not think that the movie really told who was alive at the end. If Diane took enough drugs to end her life, then faking suicide is unnecessary, but she might have woke up and one exactly that to escape “the detectives.” Her lover could also be alive because the scene at the beginning of the move where a woman survives a murder attempt because of a car crash could be what really happened, and Diane could be too emotionally disturbed to know if her lover was alive or dead. What I really liked about the movie was the surreal mise en scene, and the exploration of guilt love and frustration. Diane is not a narcissist or a psychopath because she does feel remorse, and it is interesting that she wants to be naïve fool who is unafraid of a person who could well be dangerous. The second comment assumes that Diane dreamed herself into Betty.Of course, I liked the movie so much that I searched the internet for a website like this one. I was surprised how complicated reading the movie can get. Most of the naïve interpretation of the story ignores details, and it seems that Mr. Lynch’s clues bring attention to details that are hard to catch on the initial viewing.

San Francisco Embarcadero theaters. First week it was released. Got the idea that it, most of it, was a dream, and the sadness of it all comes through even if it makes no narrative sense at all.

Saw it twice then, but only started dissecting MD a few weeks ago when I found it airing on HBO. It's easy to put MD aside after getting the dream/reality overall structure of the movie, but after diving into INLAND EMPIRE 5 years ago, I knew I would have to revisit MD at some point. If anything, just to marvel at all the wonderful lampshades.

I remember staying at my cousin's back in 2002-2003 and my parents along with his were gathered in the living room to watch a movie I didn't know what it was, I didn't stay and watch because my cousin and I were playing Smackdown! downstairs (which was more important at the time lol) I remember coming back up some time later and distinctly recall seeing the lesbian romance scene, so when I finally sat down and watched it years later in 2010 - I knew that was what they had been watching back in 2002. I must say though like with Twin Peaks, Lost Highway, and Blue Velvet - Mulholland Drive has stuck with me ever since, I think even more so than the prior - it just makes me think more than any movie I have seen.

It wasn't very long ago, since I just recently became a David Lynch aficionado. I had just found out I was into more complicated movies, those that weren't "given", that had a story that got you thinking. That's when I came across Eraserhead. The film got my attention right off the bat, since it was clear it was going to be one of a kind. Of course I loved it and jumped right into the next David Lynch film (at the time, my second). Of course it was Mulholland Drive.

Then I watched it. And I didn't get it, nothing at all. I just couldn't wrap my head around it but, somehow, I already liked it a lot. So I watched it again and: I understood the central plot (about the majority of it being Diane's dream). Call me slow, but yeah, it really took me two sittings to understand the basic stuff. With that out of the way, I went to the internet to read about it in depth (something I still regret to some extent, as I'd rather find out everything on my own) and I grew even more intrigued by it. So I went for my third sitting so as to corroborate what I'd read and to seek more information. And, boy, did I get mesmerized by the amount of little pieces of information and clues Lynch put in this movie. I also find it awesome (please, the original meaning of the word here) how Lynch managed to depict dreams in such a relatable way, one that I can say wasn't just rushed out. It was thought through, and it remains the best depiction of dreams+subconsciousness in my books.

That's when I knew for sure: Mulholland Drive was the best movie I'd ever seen. And I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. :)

Boris Gucovski wrote:Call me slow, but yeah, it really took me two sittings to understand the basic stuff.

I wouldn't call you slow at all. I think very few people figure that out before getting all the way to the end of the first viewing, and a lot of people don't get it until seeing it for the second time. Or maybe I'm just saying that because I didn't get it until the second time either. When I saw the pillow after the jitterbug scene the second time I watched it, that's when it clicked. I didn't catch the significance of that at the time when I saw it the first time, and I didn't remember it by the end of seeing it for the first time.

In fact, based on reviews and comments about MD that I've read elsewhere, I'm positive LOTS of people don't get it on first viewing, because they go off and write how MD is "meaningless"...

Me too Derek, I saw it three times before I even picked up on the pillow at the beginning, let alone associating it with Diane waking up... If someone picked up on that with the second viewing that's pretty cool.

It was March 3rd, 2012--my birthday. I had just returned home from a dinner that my family had put together for me. I'd received dozens of DVDS, both old and recent films, with Mulholland Dr. being one of them.

My uncle actually recommended the film; all he told me was "pay close attention to the objects in the film, the names of the characters, the locations, the dialogue...in essence, pay attention to everything from beginning to end!"

I knew after the first half hour that this wasn't the typical Hollywood film, and my uncles words kept echoing in my mind. I was wondering why the film wasn't sticking to the two main characters (Diane/Betty and Camilla/Rita). Why were there so many (at the time) "pointless" scenes that kept detracting my attention from the two main women. What the hell did the blue box and key stand for? Were the detectives and mafia-like men looking for Rita? I was puzzled, I was frustrated, I wanted answers...

The last half hour of the film made a lot more sense. So much so, that I was convinced I had missed something before the final sequence, something big that would "put all the pieces of the puzzle" together. Both the beginning and end really do go hand in hand in order for one to understand (or at least make sense of) this film.

The second and third viewing made a lot more sense. I've even come up with my own theories as to what I believe the film is about and what transpired.

For the record, I've watched the film nearly thirty times now and still counting. I always pick up on something I missed...something new each time.

P.S. :I still get the chills during the moments that follow immediately after Diane shoots herself. The face of the bum blending in with the face of the innocent Betty persona is quite haunting--that bum is within in us all.

super cool. there's probably nothing more exciting... and exciting for David Lynch than to see a new group of folks watch Mulholland Drive, a new generation, a collection of curious movie goers and hear there ideas..

it's a polite and genial community so please share with us what you're thinking.

the moments after Diane puts the gun in her mouth. oh man!!!!!

for me, it's a kick in my gut every time (well, i haven't seen it 30 times!! LOL) Camilla says "Shortcut." It's probably just Badalamenti's score that accompanies that scene.

Somehow, without realizing much, i had bought the movie on a "vcd" and forgotten about it.

One day, one of my friends, who knew i was into horror, got me Eraserhead dvd (he had only watched the menu) and when i watched it, i thought it had elements from dreams ive had all my life and its a feeling ive never got from any movie. I felt a part of it and quickly checked online for the director and filmography and found Mulholland Drive on the list and I suddenly got a strange feeling that i knew that title and poster from somewhere. I thought, "Wait a minute. What the hell? I think i've seen those movie posters/covers somewhere. I don't have them, do I??? What if i do?"I went insane and inverted my movie box and started going through each one like a mad man, until i found it! And after i watched it, damn, what the hell was it? An unexpected trip for sure haha. I thought this director was plain crazy and this couln't be real. Eraserhead and then Mulholland Drive. I was in love with Lynch's art instantly.

As others, i went online and checked sites and blogs to read and find out what the hell it meant haha

I think back in those days i had come on this site too, (or other like it, but i think it could have been this site) and i had joined in discussions right away. I posted a picture of the Blue Box and compared it to the stage in Silencio, and wrote something like, "when you open the box, the black inside is the stage, the flap from inside has kind of stairs, that are like the ones on the Silencio stage. And when you insert the key, its like the mic stand on the stage.

Then the site also had clues, like counting the number of Wilkin's excrement on the ground hahahWas it 7?

I have a feeling it was this site and it could be, but i dont remember the login and password so just created a new one. I've come here after years. I guess its drawn me back

I remember that post about Silencio being the inside of the cube, and I'm sure that someone actually made a brilliant photoshop thing of it. I'll try and dig it up. I know where most of the bodies are buried on this one, but if I can't find it then I may remake what's in my head.

You're thinking of the Rotten Tomatoes forum. They canned all the individual movie sub-forums and dumped all the threads in a heap in General Discussion. Everything is still there, but can take a while to find. I'll have a hunt though, because I do remember that thread.

6/6/13...for years it's been on cable off and on and every time i would try to watch it , it would creep me out (i.e.SCARE the hell out of me not to mention confuse the hell out of me and i would just give up on it... but for some reason i watched again a couple of days ago and i resolved that i was "going to figure it out once and for all" (insert hooks here)...and now it's got it's hooks in me but i've got my TEETH in it !!!....and i'm not letting go ... i bought a notebook at the dollar store and i'm going over it line by line, scene by scene....i realize i'm not the first one to do this...and it's interesting to see all the other observations, q's, theories, etc.....this the first time i have ever joined an online discussion group....i also realize that the people in this group have been at this a lot longer than me.....and i DO have some notes, observations etc ......for now just one: in the opening sequence it seems to me that the breathing is coming from UNDER the red bedsread....you always see the red bedsread on "Diane Selwyn's" bed so it would seem reasonable to conclude it's her bedroom....to me' there is something sinister and evil about the sound of the breathing.....not that of some young woman (jusr realized i've been spelling "bedspread" without the "p"....i guess that's all for now......"it's so nice to meet you...i wish all the luck!

I watched MD yesterday evening for the first time and I was completely overwhelmed by its outcome. I must say, I only started watching it because I expected a certain kind of event to happen I'm not usually a mystery thriller fan nor have I seen a David Lynch film before so this one really kept me awake, I couldn't sleep until I had written down my basic interpretation. I still have the feeling that there's much more to explore than what I've covered and I'm glad that I've exposed myself to this kind of brainteaser even if I only intended to enjoy myself in the first place. So this is what I've written down so far, there's certainly more research needed.

Since I recalled the scenes, hints and images from my memory this can only be taken as a general approach with no claim to cover up for every detail I might have missed watching it for the first time. When I first tried to get the general idea of this movie I had to ask myself if there was more to it than triggering the 'desired effect' by confronting the audience with the power of illusion. Lynch shows how easily the human mind can be confused because the emotional response when experiencing an illusion feels just as real as the reaction to an actual event. The intersection of reality and illusion is shaped by the similarity of both experiences until the illusion reveals itself in front of the subject that is left in a struggle with the reliability of its own cognition. This is just one of the aspects Lynch implemented to describe the character of the cinematic experience which is a representation of the human experience itself. It further hints at a philosophical problem which is 'How can knowledge be acquainted and confirmed?' leaving the audience with a subject of study itself. Lynch also focusses on the portrayal of the mechanisms of the film industry, its performers and their anticipation of Hollywood. Betty's character is the representation of a young, ambitious actor, eager to enter Hollywood and not prepared for the frustration and disappointment she is going to encounter in order to live her 'Hollywood Dream'. 'Mulholland Drive' can be a reference to the 'road of ruin' young actors take when they're confronted with the reality of their anticipation trying desperately to be a part of the dream factory while they have no influence on the mechanics of that twisted business. As far as I figured these are the main themes Lynch introduces, the storyline seems to be open to interpretation due to the use of various symbolic properties. The movie can be devided into different parts that are characterized by a twist in the storyline and the transformation of the main character's identities. So the question arises how both versions could be logically connected. What seems most appealing to me is that Betty is an alter-ego of Diane that she created in a dream after she instructed a hitman to kill Camille. When she meets with the hitman in 'Winkie's snack bar' she picks up the name of the waitress that she'd later name her alter-ego after. When she is back in her apartment again, she notices the blue key lying on the table and realizes that the instruction has been executed. Subsequently she suffers the emotional consequences of killing the one she loved so desperately and the one who achieved everything she ever dreamed of by simply ruining her. Camille obtained the Hollywood Dream by playing along with the mechanics of the film industry when she decided to break up with Diane to engage with the director in order to get the lead role which Diane also auditioned for. Haunted by the illusion of an old married couple she falls to sleep and dreams an altered version of reality to cope with her frustration and the realization of Camille's death. She creates Rita who is another representation of her split identity and they both try to recover the lost fragments of her memory. Rita impersonates Diane's remorse, her seemingly irrational paranoia of being hunted down by her discovery and her loss of memory, Rita is a symbolic figure for the neglected aspects of Diane's personality and her surpressed love for Camilla. Furthermore, Diane invents a conspiracy theory about the mechanisms of the film industry involving an obscure command hierarchy, with herself being at the end of the final wire. There are several clues and indicators hidden in the film which I'm unable to cover at the moment but will soon.

The two men in black suitsThese two shady men appear in Diane's dream and probably represent the threat of being brought to account for the crime she committed. They could be a reference to the police officers who are searching for her, as her neighbour informs her. Furthermore they represent Diane's underlying conscience which threatens to hunt her down.

The blue boxA gate to consciousness, a representation for the surpressed part of Diane's personality, maybe a reference to the box of pandora that unleashes all evil that is crapped up in the darkest parts of Diane's soul

The homeless man behind WinkiesAnother manifestation of Diane's persona that she refuses to accept as her own

The coffee cup, the ashtray and the bathrobeIndicators for dream state, reality or reference to a certain time

Seems that I have been held, in some dreaming stateA tourist in the waking world, never quite awake